Wimbledon 2016: Wednesday Schedule and Predictions for London Bracket
Novak Djokovic, Garbine Muguruza and Roger Federer are set to headline the third day of action at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships. The All England Club schedule features both the conclusion of the opening round and the start of Round 2.
Rain wiped out a sizable portion of the afternoon action Tuesday. That's why several first-round matches had to get carried over. AccuWeather forecasts a chance for showers through Wednesday, as well. If that happens, it could begin to wreak havoc on the schedule.
Let's check out the complete slate of action for Day 3, as the tournament looks to avoid any extended delays and make up for lost time. That's followed by predictions for some of the best matches on tap.
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Wednesday's Singles Schedule
| - | Centre Court | - | - |
| L1 | (3) Aga Radwanska vs. Kateryna Kozlova | 8 a.m. | |
| G2 | (1) Novak Djokovic vs. Adrian Mannarino | Next | |
| G2 | (3) Roger Federer vs. Marcus Willis | Next | |
| - | No. 1 Court | - | - |
| L1 | (16) Johanna Konta vs. Monica Puig | 8 a.m. | |
| G2 | (16) Gilles Simon vs. Grigor Dimitrov | Next | |
| G2 | (6) Milos Raonic vs. Andreas Seppi | Next | |
| - | No. 2 Court | - | - |
| G1 | (19) Bernard Tomic vs. Fernando Verdasco | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (5th set) |
| G2 | (30) Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Daniel Evans | Next | |
| L2 | (5) Simona Halep vs. Francesca Schiavone | Next | |
| L2 | (2) Garbine Muguruza vs. Jana Cepelova | Next | |
| - | No. 3 Court | - | - |
| G1 | (8) Dominic Thiem vs. Florian Mayer | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (1st set) |
| L1 | (7) Belinda Bencic vs. Tsvetana Pironkova | Next | |
| G2 | (9) Marin Cilic vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky | Next | |
| L2 | (8) Venus Williams vs. Maria Sakkari | Next | |
| - | Court 4 | - | - |
| G1 | Horacio Zeballos vs. Mikhail Youzhny | 6:30 a.m. | |
| L1 | Ekaterina Makarova vs. Johanna Larsson | Next | |
| - | Court 5 | - | - |
| L1 | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Su-Wei Hsieh | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (3rd set) |
| L1 | (18) Sloane Stephens vs. Shuai Peng | Next | |
| G2 | Andrey Kuznetsov vs. Gilles Muller | Next | |
| - | Court 6 | - | - |
| G1 | Donald Young vs. Leonardo Mayer | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (2nd set) |
| G2 | Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs. Damir Dzumhur | Next | |
| L2 | (26) Kiki Bertens vs. Mona Barthel | Next | |
| - | Court 7 | - | - |
| L1 | Evgeniya Rodina vs. Lesia Tsurenko | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (2nd set) |
| G2 | (28) Sam Querrey vs. Thomaz Bellucci | Next | |
| G2 | Jeremy Chardy vs. Steve Johnson | Next | |
| - | Court 8 | - | - |
| G1 | (18) John Isner vs. Marcos Baghdatis | 6:30 a.m. | |
| L1 | (11) Timea Bacsinszky vs. Luksika Kumkhum | Next | |
| L2 | (20) Sara Errani vs. Alize Cornet | Next | |
| L2 | (28) Lucie Safarova vs. Samantha Crawford | Next | |
| - | Court 9 | - | - |
| L1 | Julia Boserup vs. Tatjana Maria | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (1st set) |
| L1 | Mandy Minella vs. Anna Tatishvili | Next | |
| L2 | (17) Elina Svitolina vs. Yaroslava Shvedova | Next | |
| - | Court 10 | - | - |
| G1 | Albano Olivetti vs. Matthew Barton | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (2nd set) |
| L1 | (31) Kristina Mladenovic vs. Ali Sasnovich | Next | |
| G2 | (27) Jack Sock vs. Robin Haase | Next | |
| L2 | Carina Witthoeft vs. Kurumi Nara | Next | |
| - | Court 11 | - | - |
| G1 | Federico Delbonis vs. Fabio Fognini | 6:30 a.m. | |
| L2 | (15) Karolina Pliskova vs. Misaki Doi | Next | |
| L2 | A-L Friedsam vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova | Next | |
| - | Court 12 | - | - |
| L1 | Heather Watson vs. Annika Beck | 6:30 a.m. | |
| L1 | Genie Bouchard vs. Magdalena Rybarikova | Next | Finish (2nd set) |
| G2 | (5) Kei Nishikori vs. Julien Benneteau | Next | |
| L2 | (4) Angelique Kerber vs. Varvara Lepchenko | Next | |
| - | Court 14 | - | - |
| G1 | Jiri Vesely vs. Igor Sijsling | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (3rd set) |
| L1 | (24) Barbora Strycova vs. Anett Kontaveit | Next | |
| L2 | (22) Jelena Jankovic vs. Marina Erakovic | Next | |
| L2 | (29) Daria Kasatkina vs. Lara Arruabarrena | Next | |
| - | Court 15 | - | - |
| L1 | Karin Knapp vs. Ana Konjuh | 6:30 a.m. | |
| L1 | Monica Niculescu vs. Aleksandra Krunic | Next | |
| L2 | (12) Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Denisa Allertova | Next | |
| - | Court 16 | - | - |
| G1 | (24 Alexander Zverev vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (3rd set) |
| G2 | (13) David Ferrer vs. Nicolas Mahut | Next | |
| L2 | (9) Madison Keys vs. Kirsten Flipkens | Next | |
| - | Court 17 | - | - |
| L1 | (32) Andrea Petkovic vs. Nao Hibino | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (3rd set) |
| G1 | (32) Lucas Pouille vs. Marius Copil | Next | |
| G2 | (23) Ivo Karlovic vs. Lukas Lacko | Next | |
| - | Court 18 | - | - |
| G1 | (10) Tomas Berdych vs. Ivan Dodig | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (4th set) |
| L1 | (10) Petra Kvitova vs. Sorana Cirstea | Next | |
| G2 | (11) David Goffin vs. Edouard Roger-Vasselin | Next | |
| L2 | (14) Samantha Stosur vs. Sabine Lisicki | Next | |
| - | Court 19 | - | - |
| G1 | Radu Albot vs. Gastao Elias | 6:30 a.m. | Finish (4th set) |
| G2 | Nicolas Almagro vs. Denis Istomin | Next |
Day 3 Predictions
Top Gentleman's Match: (6) Milos Raonic vs. Andreas Seppi
Raonic is making a concerted effort to become a more complete player by increasing his net approaches. It's the right move for his long-term outlook, but the question is whether he can complete such a transition in the middle of a Grand Slam event.
The results in his opening match were mixed. He advanced in straight sets over Pablo Carreno Busta, but he won just 57 percent of points at net (24-of-42) and had 22 unforced errors, including several misses on routine looks at forehand volleys.
Tennis Connected commented about the amount of improvement still needed:
He's going to need to show noticeable progress to get past Seppi. The veteran Italian dropped just six games in a dismantling of Guillermo García-Lopez in Round 1. As a point of contrast with his Canadian counterpart, he won 83 percent of the points when coming to net (19-of-23).
It will be intriguing to see whether Raonic remains committed to more variety or if he returns to his baseline power game against a tougher opponent. It's not an easy decision, because while the big-hitting style may work against Seppi, he'll need a better net game to make a deep run in the event.
Ultimately, Raonic should have enough firepower to advance, but the manner in which he wins will be more important in determining his outlook for the rest of the tournament.
Pick: Raonic in four sets
Top Ladies' Match: (14) Samantha Stosur vs. Sabine Lisicki
Stosur is enjoying a resurgence, as she illustrated by reaching the semifinals of the French Open. It marked the first time since 2012 that she advanced beyond the fourth round of a major. Earning a similar result at Wimbledon would be even more impressive.
The All England Club hasn't treated her too well over the years, though. She's never made it beyond the third round in the event, and it's the only Grand Slam where she owns a losing record (11-13).
The veteran Aussie will be looking to clean up her mistakes after posting 20 unforced errors and six double-faults in her victory over Magda Linette. There were still some promising signs, however, as she won 89 percent of points on her first serve and 40 percent of return points.
Patrick Stack of Fox Sports News highlighted the draw luck following the win:
Lisicki does sport a strong Wimbledon resume. She's advanced to at least the quarterfinals in five of her seven appearances in the marquee event. Yet her performance in 2016 hasn't been on nearly the same level, going just 9-13 so far.
Between Stosur's struggles on the world's most famous grass courts and Lisicki's woes throughout the current campaign, the table is set for a match with a lot of twists and turns Wednesday. The Aussie's improved form as of late gives her a slight edge.
Pick: Stosur in three sets
Upset Alert: (16) Gilles Simon vs. Grigor Dimitrov
Slowly but surely, Dimitrov is starting to show signs of the player who once reached the top 10. He's not all the way back to top form, which he displayed when reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 2014, but the progress is apparent after an extended stretch of lackluster play.
He tallied 24 winners in his straight-sets triumph over Bjorn Fratangelo. He also won 20-of-21 points at net and 42-of-47 points on his first serve. Now he must prove he can maintain that type of play against a more talented foe in Simon.
For his part, Dimitrov stated after his Round 1 win that he's started feeling better during his practice sessions, as relayed by Kamakshi Tandon of Tennis.com:
"I had a good week—I would say weeks—of practice considering my previous results. So I'm just confident to get out there and play ... I just was not settled enough ... So that's why I said I just need some time. I need to find these answers, and what can I do better? ... Now, I mean, today in particular it felt really good. I felt like I was serving well, felt I was moving well on the grass.
"
Meanwhile, Simon looked vulnerable in his opener against Janko Tipsarevic, though he eventually moved on in four sets. He had 38 unforced errors compared to just 27 winners and won just 66 percent of points on his first serve.
The step up in competition from Fratangelo to Simon is massive, so it's hard to know exactly how Dimitrov will respond to the challenge. But the numbers suggest he's got a legitimate shot at pulling off the upset if he can build off his promising start.
Pick: Dimitrov in five sets
All match statistics courtesy of the tournament's official site.
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